Ibn Battuta — "The inhabitants of this country are all polytheists, and they worship idols. The…"
The inhabitants of this country are all polytheists, and they worship idols. They have a temple where they perform their rites.
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More from Ibn Battuta
"The Sultan of this land is a generous man, but he has a strange habit of giving gifts of old clothes and worn-out shoes."
"The women here are very beautiful, and they do not cover their faces. This is a custom that is not found in other Muslim lands."
"I saw a man in this city who could swallow swords. It was a terrifying but fascinating performance."
"The people of this city are very skilled in craftsmanship. They make beautiful pottery and intricate textiles."
"The people of this country are very fond of chess, and they play it all day long."
About Ibn Battuta (1304-1369)
Moroccan Muslim scholar and explorer whose Rihla (travels) covered ~75,000 miles across the Islamic world from Mali to China — the most-traveled person of the medieval world. Closely associated with Marco Polo (his Venetian counterpart, traveling 50 years earlier in the opposite direction). For an intellectual contrast, see medieval European Christian insularity, the sheltered monastic-feudal worldview of 14th-century Latin Christendom — Ibn Battuta's 30-year journey demonstrates that the 14th-century Dar al-Islam was a single intellectual ecosystem from West Africa to Beijing, while medieval Europe was still tribal and parochial. The cleanest 'connectedness vs insularity' contrast in pre-modern history — Battuta could find a familiar Maliki judge in any city from Mali to Sumatra.